Reconsideration
by Rurouni Tsuki
Summary: PG for swearing. Kenshin leaves to become a wanderer again. In his travels, he rescues a child and has to return to Tokyo. But, what happens when the girl is actually his archnemisis's daughter, who will stop at nothing to set Kenshin and Kaoru back up.


Disclaimer: Kenshin isn't mine. Damn.  
  
Warnings: Angst, sadness, some humor, and... Saitou.   
  
A/N: Saitou's wife's name is Tokio, right? Well, that's the name I'll use for this fic. I've never seen her,   
  
despite the fact she's most likely in an episode, so her description is purely made up. As is her personality.   
  
Tell me how close I am. OOCness on Saitou's part. Enjoy. Also this is NOT a yaoi fic, so don't worry.   
  
{} indicate flashback. '' indicate thoughts.  
  
Reconsideration  
  
His back hurt from the awkward sleeping position. It had been a while since Himura Kenshin had slept   
  
sitting up with his back against a tree. He found himself wishing he was back in Kamiya dojo sleeping on his futon. No,   
  
he shook his head, he couldn't think about that.   
  
He had left the Kamiya dojo a week before to become a wanderer again. He hated put Kaoru in danger,   
  
and the only way to prevent the peril was to leave.   
  
{i "Why Kenshin? Aren't... aren't you happy here?"  
  
  
  
"Yes, but with every day that I stay here, I put you in more and more danger."  
  
"Kenshin..."  
  
"I'm sorry. Thank you...and sayonara..."/i}  
  
He carefully straightened, his back aching in protest. 'My age must be catching up with me,' he thought.   
  
A scream tore through the air and shattered the peaceful silence. Kenshin grabbed his sword and darted   
  
through the tree towards the sound. Two bandits were beating up a four year old girl.   
  
"Shaddup you little brat!" hissed the bandit who was holding her.  
  
"Yeah, listen to Yuko, you bitch!" the second bandit slapped her.   
  
"Leave her alone. It is not right to beat up innocent young children, that it is not," Kenshin decided to intervene.   
  
Yuko dropped the girl and said, "Me 'n Dejima will beat your ass for interfering!"  
  
They charged. Kenshin jumped straight up, avoiding their blows and causing the two to collide, knocking both   
  
unconscious. Kenshin stepped over the bodies and held his hand out to the little girl. She backed up, staring at   
  
him nervously.   
  
Kenshin put on his best rurouni smile, "I won't hurt you, I promise. My name is Kenshin. What's your name?"  
  
She relaxed slightly and took his hand. "My name is Rin."  
  
"Oh? That's a pretty name. Where do you live?"  
  
"I-in Tokyo."  
  
"What are you doing out here? You're at least a days walk from Tokyo, that you are."  
  
"The bandits took me from my mommy and daddy. I just wanna go home..." Rin started to cry.  
  
"Well, why don't I take you back to Tokyo then?"  
  
"R-r-really?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Rin took a deep breath to stop her crying. Then she said, "Ok."  
  
Kenshin smiled and replied, "But lets clean you up first."  
  
He led the girl back to his encampment and, after a little bit of digging through his bag, produced some   
  
bandages. The girl was covered in minor bruises, but her right arm was twisted, and Kenshin knew it was   
  
broken and that he would have to set it.   
  
"Your arm is broken. Here, bite on this and try not to scream," He handed her an extra gi of his. Bravely   
  
she bit into the smooth cloth as Kenshin snapped her arm back into place. "There you go. Now, hold it still."   
  
He splinted the arm was two pieces of wood and bound it all together a white cloth bandage. With a second bandage,   
  
he created a sling.  
  
"Alright?" He asked.  
  
She nodded, but kept a firm grip on his spare gi. He knew the arm was probably very painful; he'd had many broken  
  
bones and fractures during his training with Hiko. Carefully, he wrapped the girl in his extra gi and picked her up. It would  
  
be best to get her home as soon as possible.  
  
It took less time than he thought it would to reach Tokyo; they made it to the city just as the sun was setting. The girl   
  
directed him along the streets towards her home. Kenshin had originally feared that her home would be near the Kamiya   
  
dojo, but as it turned out, she lived about as far from it as possible, in an area of the town he had never bothered to explore.   
  
Finally, she stopped him in front of a small, but relatively elegant house.  
  
"This is where I live Ken-san. You can put me down now."  
  
Kenshin let her down gently, and did not take back his gi, which was still draped about her small shoulders. It was a   
  
comical sight, actually. The gi dragged on the ground like a cape and the arms hung unused by her side. Cautiously,   
  
Rin knocked on the door.  
  
It was opened by a young woman with long black hair bound back in a low ponytail. She saw Rin and picked the girl up,   
  
yelling, "RIN! You're home! You're safe! HAJIME! RIN'S ALRIGHT!!"  
  
'Hajime? No it can't be...' thought Kenshin. Rin was telling her mother everything that happened. A tall and slightly  
  
foreboding figure entered the doorway. Kenshin nearly passed out. It WAS Saitou. He wasn't wearing his usual   
  
policeman's uniform and he was SMILING. Kenshin didn't know that Saitou was capable of a smile. Saitou took his   
  
daughter from his wife's arms and gave her a hug. He frowned slightly, noticing the fuchsia gi she was wearing. Then he   
  
spotted Kenshin. The smile faded quickly.  
  
"Himura. What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.  
  
"Oh! I almost forgot! Mommy, Daddy, this is Kenshin. He's a wanderer and he saved me from those bandits   
  
and he made my arm all better!" squeaked Rin.  
  
Kenshin bowed low, "I must be going. Goodbye." He started to turn away.  
  
"Himura! Wait, I wish a word with you. Tokio, could you please prepare some tea?"  
  
Tokio nodded and brought Rin inside with her. Saitou walked over to where Kenshin still stood. "I heard you left   
  
Kamiya dojo." He stated simply.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Oh don't even try that with me. You should see that tanuki girl lately. She looks horrible. It's obvious even to   
  
me she's not sleeping or eating."  
  
"It's best she forget about me."  
  
"Are you that dense?"  
  
"Oro?"  
  
"She's not going to forget you. She's completely in love with you, you moronic scar face."  
  
"How would YOU know?"  
  
"Oh please, the way she reacted before we left to fight Shishio..."  
  
{i"When we go back to Tokyo... let's all go back together."/i}  
  
"...the way she acted during our duel..."  
  
{i"We have to stop them, Sano!"  
  
"We can't stop them. They aren't fighting in Tokyo during the Meiji era anymore. They're back fighting in   
  
Kyoto during the revolution."/i}  
  
"...the fact she chased you all the way to Kyoto..."  
  
{i"Great, three more unwanted visitors. Do you know these people, Kenshin?"  
  
"Miss Misao, Yahiko, ...Miss...Miss Kaoru..."/i}  
  
"I think everyone has figured it out except you two. But, what you do on your own time is really none   
  
of my goddamn business. And, you're spending the night here. Tokio would never forgive me if you didn't."  
  
Kenshin smiled slightly. "Alright..."  
  
"Good."  
  
They headed inside. Tokio had not only prepared tea, but dinner as well. She looked as the two men   
  
walked in. "You're spending the night, correct Kenshin?" she asked, clearly expecting a yes.   
  
"Hai. And thank you very much for your hospitality Miss Tokio."  
  
"It's the least we can do."  
  
They all sat down, Kenshin sitting next to Rin. He was surprised to find how... relaxed Saitou seemed to be.   
  
He laughed and joked with Tokio and helped Rin hold her chopsticks with her left hand. When dinner was finished,   
  
Kenshin lent a hand in clean up. He offered to do the dishes, but Tokio vehemently refused and dragged him to the   
  
spare room, telling him to go to bed. He collapsed and was soon fast asleep.  
  
Saitou found his wife in the kitchen doing dishes. He had just finished tucking Rin into bed. Quietly, he snuck up   
  
behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. She sighed and whispered, "Alright, what are you up to?"  
  
"I think I may try to knock some sense into Himura."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I'm going to go pay a visit to the Kamiya dojo."  
  
"Just be don't be out too late. You have to go to work tomorrow."  
  
"Mhmm." He kissed her cheek and walked out into Tokyo's silent streets.  
  
Within five minutes, he was standing at the Kamiya dojo's front gates. They creaked as he pushed them open.   
  
He walked up to the door and knocked. Sano was the one who answered.  
  
"Go away, Saitou. You know Kenshin ain't here."  
  
"Of course I know, moron. But that is why I am here. Is Miss Kamiya avalible at the moment?"  
  
"You think I'm gonna let you in here? You gotta another thin' comin' you arrogant bas-"  
  
"Sano!"  
  
Kaoru Kamiya entered the hall. She spotted Saitou and rolled her eyes, "What do YOU want?"  
  
"Hmm. I thought I was beinga good samaritan by coming here."  
  
"What, by disturbing us at an ungodly hour of the night?" Sano retaliated.  
  
"I'd more than guarrentee you just got home your self, rooster head."  
  
"SHUT UP!"  
  
"I thought perhaps you might want to know where the Battousai was, but apparently I was wrong."  
  
You could have heard a pin drop. Saitou smirked. Yep, that one always worked.  
  
"Where is he?" Kaoru asked in a slightly strained voice.  
  
"At my home. He rescued my daughter from-"  
  
"YOU HAVE A /b?!?" Sano yelled.  
  
"Who has a daughter?" Yahiko walked in and saw Saitou. "Oh man. You gotta be kidding me."  
  
"WILL YOU SHUT UP YOU TWO?" Kaoru yelled. Both men (er.. boys) shrank and she turned back to Saitou.   
  
"Please continue."  
  
"As I was saying. He rescued my daughter from some bandits and brought her home. My wife Tokio-"  
  
"You're /b too?"  
  
"Obviously, moron. Tokio wouldn't let him leave, so he's still there. Do you want to see him or not?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"You bet!"  
  
"Miss Kamiya?" he asked. The girl had not said anything since her outburst a few minutes before.  
  
"...alright."  
  
"Good. Follow me."  
  
He led them through the dark streets to his home. When they went in, Tokio was still up. She smiled   
  
and pointed out the guest room Kenshin was in.  
  
Sano, Yahiko, and Kaoru all entered the room silently, being careful not to wake him. They desided to talk   
  
to him in the morning. Sano fell asleep in front of the door and Yahiko on the window sill, blocking any escape routes.   
  
Kaoru curled up on the floor beside Kenshin, and had the first restful sleep she'd had in a week.  
  
The first thing Kenshin saw when he woke up was Kaoru's sleeping face. His eyes widened and he sat up quickly.   
  
He could see Yahiko sleeping in the window. When he turned to the door, Sano's smiling face greeted him.  
  
"Don't even think about runnin' out again. I'm not lettin' you leave Jou-chan heartbroken again."  
  
Sano's voice caused Kaoru to stir. She blinked a few times and stared up at Kenshin, who smiled back at her.  
  
"Kenshin..." she whispered and gave him a careful hug. "Please... don't leave like that again."  
  
He suddenly relized that what Saitou had said the night before was very true. She did care about him and...   
  
he cared about her. So, he smiled and murmured back, "I won't. I promise." 


End file.
